Separation of metals from their ores.



No. 787,814. PATENTED APR. 18. 1905. J. D. WOLF.

SEPARATION 0F METALS FROM THEIR ORES.

nrmoulon rILBD nu 2z. 190s.

UNITED STATES Patented April 18, 1906.

PATENT OFFICE.

SEPARATION OF METALS FROM THEIR ORES.

SPECIFICATION frming part of Lettera Patent No. 787,814:` dated April18, 1905.

Application 51nd lay 22, 1908. Serial No. 168,346.

To (all, wit/mt itntrty concern:

Be it known'that I, J Acon'DAviu WOLF, a citizen of the United States,residing at London` England, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in the Separation of Metals from .Their Orcs, of which thefollowing is a specilication.

The present invention relates to improvements in obtaining metals fromtheir ores, the object being to separate the valuable andmetallic-mineral constituents of an ore from its gangue hy the use ofoil or grease, particularly oil or grease which has been treated withclilorid of sulfur.

According to this invention the ore-pulpa are agitated with oil,preferably mineral oil mixed with viscous animal'or vegetable oil andtreated with chlorid 'of sulfur, until the oil has taken up'all themetallic-mineral contents with some gangiie. The mineral-bearing oil isseparated from the pulps, and suspended particlesof gangue are remov/edfrom the oil by passing it through warm water` the metallic mineralsbeing thereafter separated out from the oil, which can be used again. Atthe same time oil is recovered from the waste pulps by blowing airthrough them.

ln order to increase the viscosity of certain minerai oils, a smallpi'oportonsay tive per cent.-of animal oil, such as lard-oil, may/beadded before sulfo-chlornating. Vegetable oils-.such as rape, castor, orlinseed oil -act in a similar manner. With pulpa having a largeproportion of mineral, as in the case of copper, lead, or zinc'ores` theprepared oil should be made thick and viscous to produce the necessarypower of flotation; but with pulps in which the percentage of mineral issmall, as with gold ores, the oil neednot be thickened to thc maximumextent.l 1n the same way if the particles of mineral arc coarse the oilshould be specially viscous` while with line particles the oil may berelatively thinner.

The accompanying drawingl is a dagramn matic sectionalview of apparatussuitable for use in carrying out this process.

In the following description it is assumed that the oil is treated withchloi'id of sulfur;

but it is to be understood that the same process and apparatus wouldapply to other suitable but untreated oils.

The ore mixed with water is crushed into a pulp and is introduced by alaunder A into a mixer B.- the oil. preferably` treated with ehlorid ofsulfur, being simultaneously run in from the tank A through the pipe Ai.The mixing vessel B has `a v'ertical hollow cylinder B' lixed in themiddle of it, and below the cylinder is a turbine-wheel B2 on a verticalshaft B, rotatabley through the pulley B. The mixture of oil and piilpspasses into the hollow cylinder B', andthe rotation of the turbine-wheelB causes a rapid circulation of the mixture downward within the cylinderand upward between the cylinder and the ves.- sel B. The liquid iscontinuously discharged from the mixer through the pipe B and passesintoaseparating-tankorspitzkasten C. Here the sulfo-clilornated oiladhering to the mineral of the ore floats, while the gangue remaining inadmixture with the water sinks and is removed by the waste-pipe C. Themineral-bearing oil passes off from/the surface through the conduit G".The mixture is next forced-for example, by means of a rotary pump D-inat the bottomo a vertical cylindrical vessel E. containing warm waterand `surrounded by a steam or hot-water jacket E'.

The vessel .is provided with a water-inlet pipe E' and a waste-outlet Eaat the bottom, and an oil-outlet E is also provided near the top of thevessel. cles of gangue in suspension is passed into the vessel E,preferably through a perforated inlet D', to break the oil into thinstreams or globules, which rise through the warm water and drop out thegangue in 'their upward course on account of the decrease in viscosity.1f desired, two or more ofthese vessels may be' used in series, themineral-bearing oil being removed from the surface of each vessel. Bythe means thus provided for eliminating gangue it is possible to treatores with such a degree of agitation that the whole of the mineralcontents are taken up by the oil` accompanied` however, by a notnconsiderable proportion of gangue; but as practically all this gangueis removable from theoil by a The oil mixture carrying part`i' sulicienttreatment with hot water much cleaner and sharper concentrates can beobtained than would be the case-under any circumstances without suchwashing. The oil carrying practically only the values is next passedinto a receiver F, from which it is forced, by means of a pneumaticforcing apparatus into a lilter-press H, which may be of any suitableformfor example, of the type now largely used in the treatment of lard,tallow, and similar oils by fullers earth. The separated oil is receivedin a tank J and is returned, by means of a pump K, to the oil-supplytank A to be mixed with fresh quantities of pulps, the process beingthus rendered cyclic'. The properties of the oil are. permanentlyaltered by treatment with chlorid of sulfur; but it may be foundadvisable to add a further quantity of chlorid of sulfur after the oilhas been in use for some time.

l The waste pulps removed from the bottom of the settling-tank C a'recollected in a vessel L. After'agitating the pulps with the oiloilglobules, which from various causes are not completely separated byflotation` but remain in the waste pulps, can be' largely separatedtherefrom and recovered by blowing a current of air or air and steamthrough jets L' upward through the waste pulps. The oil-globules rise tothesurface and break, forming a iilm which is not liable to sink againand can be recovered by skimming or by surface baiiles or the like.

1t is to be understood that the form of the apparatus used can be variedwithout departing from this invention. For example, when separating the'suspended gangue from the oil any convenient means may be used forpassing the oil through warm water, and in rcmoving the oil fromthewaste pulps currents of air or steam may be produced in any way. Alsoany other suitable method separating the values from the oil may beadopted.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The herein-described process of separati' ing metals from their oreswhich consists in agitating pulps with oil until the oil has taken upall the metallic-mineral contents with some gangue, separating themineral-bearing oil from the pulps, removing suspended particles ofgangue from'the oil by passing it through warm water and separatingmetallic minerals fromthe oil. y

2. The herein-described process of separating metals from their oreswhich consists in agitating pulps with oil until the oil has taken upall the metallic-mineral contents with some gangue, separating themineral-bearing oil from the pulps, removing suspended particles ofgangue from the oil by passing it through warm water,separating metallicminerals from the oil which can be used again and recovering oil fromthe waste pulps bg blowing air through them. ""LLN 3. 'lheherein-described process of separating metals from their ores whichconsists in agitating pulps with sul'fo-chlorinated oil until the oilhas taken up all the metallic-mineral contents with some gangue`separating the mineral-bearing oil from the pulps by ilotation andremoving suspended particles oi' gangue from the oil by passing thefinely-divided oil upward through warm water.

4. The herein-described process of separating metals from their oreswhich consists in agitatng pulps with sulfo-chlorinated oil until theoil has taken up all the metallic-mineral contents with some gangue,separating the mineral-bearing oil from the pulps| byflotation,removingsuspended particlesof gangue lfrom the oil by passingthe linel \,'divided oil upward through warm water and iilter-pressingthe oil to separate out the metallic minerals from the oil.

5. The herein-described process of separating metals from their oreswhich consists in agitating pulps with mineral oil mixed with viscousoil and treated with chlorid of sulfur until the oil has taken up allthe metallic-mineral contents with some gangue, separating themineral-bearingol from the pulps by flotation,removing suspendedparticles of gangue from the oil by passing the iinely-dividcd oilupward through warm water and iilter-pressing the oil to separate outthe metallic minerals from the oil.

6. The herein-described process of separating metals from their oreswhich consists in agitating pulps with mineral oil' mixed with 'viscousoil and treated with chlorid of sulfur until the oil has taken up allthe metallic-mineral contents with some gangue, separating themineral-bearing oil from the pulps byilotation,removing suspendedparticlesof-gangue from the oil by passing the tinely-divided oil upwardthrough warm water, filter-pressing the o il to separate out themetallic minerals from the oil and removing oil-globules from the wastepulps by spraying jets of air and steam upward through the pulps andskim` ming oli` the oil which oats. I

1n testimony whereof 1 have signed my name to this specilication in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JACOB DAVID WOLF.

VVVitnessea:

CLAUDE McKenzie. H. D. JAMESON.

